Judge rules against $765 million NFL concussion settlement

A $760 million settlement between the NFL and thousands of former players on a concussion lawsuit was rejected on Tuesday by a federal judge.

U.S. District Judge Anita Brody asked the parties involved to give more financial information, because she believes all affected players in the concussion lawsuit won’t be paid.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2012, alleges that the NFL hid the dangers of concussions and brain injuries that players faced while making a profit. The $760 million settlement was reached in August. More than 4,500 former players have filed suit, but Brody said that up to 20,000 players could eventually be eligible, according to Reuters.

“I am primarily concerned that not all retired NFL football Players who ultimately receive a qualifying diagnosis, or their related claimants, will be paid,” Brody wrote in court papers filed on Tuesday. “Even if only 10 percent of retired NFL football players eventually receive a qualifying diagnosis, it is difficult to see how the monetary award fund would have the funds available over its lifespan to pay all claimants at these significant award levels.”

The $760 million settlement would last about 65 years. In addition to paying the players awards, the NFL would also pay an extra $112 million in fees and expenses to the player’s lawyers, which means the total payment would be almost $900 million, according to the Associated Press.

However, critics have argued that the NFL got off easy because it has more than $9 billion in annual revenues.

The NFL has banned helmet to helmet hits and requires teams to keep players from playing if they get hit in the head and feel dizzy or have memory gaps, as a result of concussion research.